European football’s governing body UEFA said they would maintain their boycott of the men’s and women’s World Cups on Thursday despite FIFA withdrawing the plan to open up their competitions to private investment.
UEFA’s initial threat issued last Thursday to boycott FIFA competitions is widely credited in being pivotal in the plan being shelved.
Although that was one of their conditions to be met for them to withdraw their threat, they said on Thursday the second one had not been met.
“UEFA’s associations were very clear about the conditions attached to their non participation in FIFA competitions,” read their statement.
“First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.
“These conditions have not been met.”
Whilst UEFA had welcomed the withdrawal of the plan last Saturday they had slammed FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his “shabby, backroom, opaque deal.”
Their tone had not changed in Thursday’s statement.
“UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency. That position holds,” they said.
Infantino had gained some respite on Wednesday when he held an emergency meeting of senior FIFA directors in Morocco.
They had backed him, issuing a statement saying he had their “full support” but apologising “over errors made after the proposal was leaked to media”.
UEFA dismissed this show of support, which included FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, whose leaked email to staff on Tuesday had criticised the plan.
“Yesterday’s announcement that some people employed by the FIFA President (and whose careers depend on his favour) agree with him changes nothing,” said UEFA.
FIFA floated the plan last Tuesday, saying it could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which it proposed would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.
It said that, if approved, the project could provide each of FIFA’s 211 member associations with a one-off payment of $20 million in early 2027, and increase their funding allocation for the 2027-2030 cycle from $8 million to $20 million.
However, after a global backlash Infantino was forced into the humiliating climbdown days later.
